Next phase for Forgotten Cancers Project

Over the past few decades there has been little change in the survival of people diagnosed with a less common cancer such as brain, kidney and stomach.

These cancers account for about 40 percent of cancers diagnosed in Victoria and about half of all cancer deaths.

To help improve our understanding of these cancers, and hopefully survival, we recruited nearly 3,000 Australians into our Forgotten Cancers Project, which was launched in 2011.

In the next phase of the Project, the research team will contribute the data they've collected through questionnaires and saliva samples to national and international studies.

Data is already being used in a US project investigating the inflammatory potential of diet and its interaction with genes on pancreatic cancer.

Chief investigator of the Forgotten Cancers Project, Professor Graham Giles said the data source that's been created will be invaluable in growing our understanding of these tumour types.

"By studying the roles of genes, lifestyle and early life environment we can better understand why people develop these cancers, and then improve the prevention and treatment of these diseases in the future."

The Project complements our other work in less common cancers, including the EMMA study which is looking at the causes of multiple myeloma and the CONFIRM study which is investigating kidney cancer.